Know a good Ardbeg Uigeadail batch number?

There was a discussion in the comments of @Victor 's Uigeadail review here: connosr.com/reviews/ardbeg/…

@systemdown Thanks, yes I've read it. That and others telling me about the variation in Uigeadail led me to post this thread. Basically what it is, is that I had one dram from a sample bottle and got instantly obsessed. There was Nils before drinking Uigeadail, and Nils after drinking it. It changed me, that's how good it was. And now I just have to get a whole bottle (or 12) of the same goodness. In fact I'm on my way right now as i write this, to the shop where I got the sample bottle to check the batch number of the one bottle they had left last time I checked...if it's still there that is.

I can't compare much with other batches, but the bottle I got today is amazing! 2012 Jan 11.

L12 011 09:06 6ML

Anybody got any more good batch numbers to look for. I imagine the L11s are getting harder to find. I may go back for a second bottle of L12 331 13:30. It has gotten better over the last few weeks. They have two more bottles from the same batch left and I was told there are a few more bottles at another store down the road. Maybe a different batch?

@Bigtuna

What is available in Ontario is flawless, absolutely flawless. So flawless, and light, it's almost like sipping air.

Oh...it IS air. That's right, in LCBO land we can't even get the worst batch.... Yay, government monopoly

@systemdown, @NilsG, @BigTuna, @Nozinan,...maybe soon we will see a mega-comparison by my good buddy @Nock, who is prepping up a comparison of about Eight? More? batches of Uigeadail...your readers are waiting @Nock...yes, I know you are still on vacation...soon, though, hopefully... :-)

@Nozinan - I'm enjoying my nearly flawless L12 255 14:37 6ML purchased at LCBO store #226 during the 'storm of the decade' in February of 2012 - well worth the effort put forth on what I now consider an epic whisky mission. L11 325 12:17 6ML purchased at SAQ in May of 2012 on another whisky mission.

aa/<

"Anyone can enjoy great whisky, but good whisky enjoyed with friends becomes legend"

paddockjudge

ardbegproject.com/codepics.shtml

@Victor . . . ya, I know some good Uigeadail batches . . . and some bad ones. More to follow soon!

@Nock I haven't bought my second bottle yet because I'm eagerly waiting for your run down of the the good, bad, and the ugly.

I found an uigeadail with a batch code starting with L6 at my store the other day. Any good!? I believe I've heard that some of the earlier batches are quite extraordinary.

Come on now gentlemen! @Nock, I need your expertise

@Alexsweden, even if @Nock knows the batch, he is going to want the full batch number marking. There are usually several batches of Uigeadail in a calendar year. They are not the same.

@Alexsweden, My deep suspicion is that what you are looking at is the NEW Ardbeg batch numbers. Ardbeg seems to have changed their identification code sometime during 2014. For example, I have an Ardbeg TEN bottle batch code L14 097 16:37 6ML (97th day of 2014) AND a new batch of Ardbeg Corryvreckan with the following batch code:

L50127 10/11/2014; 14011823 16:35

So, no longer is the "L5" the year. Now, you have to skip the "L-number" and move to the 10/11/2014. This tells you the day, month, and year. If you ask me this is far more clear. I assume that the two numbers around the color (:) is the time of bottling.

My guess is that you are looking at a batch of Uigeadail from late 2014 or early 2015. Just my guess unless you have the whole bottle code.

Thank you, an informative answer indeed. I apologize if I seemed overanxious, I thought I might have struck gold... The box had some new badge from this or that whisky competition so it would make perfect sense if it was indeed a new way of labeling. I'll make sure to study it more closely next time I'm there.

@Alexsweden No apology necessary . . . we are talking about Uigeadail after all.

You mentioned a "badge" on the box? In 2009 they released a box with silver sticker of Atlas holding up the Ardbeg "A" symbol. It says, "World Whisky of the Year 2009; Jim Murray's Whisky Bible."

That bottle would be a batch of L9 and it would be from 2009 - however, it was not the L7 325 (end of 2007) which was the actual batch he gave the award to in 2009. It it is a 2009 bottle you should certainly grab a few.

Still, my guess is that it is a new box and design.

I'm probably going there tomorrow, I'll make sure to scope it out thoroughly!

@Alexsweden looking forward to the report!

@Nock. I'd say that you were 100% right on your call. The badge says "IWSC 2014 gold medal", the date was stamped 08/01/2015 and next to it (what had me fooled) it says " L61005".

Obviously it wasn't old stock resurfaced. Unfortunately...